Terps name Eric Milton as interim baseball coach

Connor LetourneauThe Baltimore Sun

Maryland named volunteer assistant Eric Milton as the Terps baseball team’s interim coach Thursday morning, according to a university news release. The announcement came less than 24 hours after former coach Erik Bakich accepted the same position at Michigan.

An 11-year MLB veteran, Milton returned to his alma mater in September 2011. He spent last season mentoring the pitching staff, and occasionally served as first base coach. The former major league All-Star helped Maryland’s pitchers record their best season in recent memory as the staff posted a 3.21 ERA -- a far cry from its 5.24 ERA in 2011.

“I’m honored to accept this position and look forward to working with our players and recruits in the coming months,” Milton said in the release. “My goal when I came here was to help develop our players for professional careers and build a winning tradition at my alma mater. That goal remains the same.”

Milton pitched for the Terps from 1994 to 1996 and was a first-round pick of the New York Yankees in the 1996 MLB draft. He played for four teams, accumulating an 89-85 record and a 4.99 ERA. He posted double-digit wins four times, including a three-year span for the Minnesota Twins (2000-2002).

“Eric’s knowledge of the game of baseball, as well as this institution, makes him the right person to guide the program at this time,” Maryland athletic director Kevin Anderson said. “In his 11-year major league career and during his time as an assistant last season, Eric has proven his ability as an elite talent and teacher.”

With Milton serving in an interim capacity, the Terps will continue with a national search for Bakich’s replacement.